Alter
by LiLiKun18
Summary: Edward has disappeared, and Alphonse is beginning the long journey to find him. However, someone else is wandering around Amestris. A strange boy from a place called London, with a shocking connection to Ed.  Post Anime Series, Alternative Ending.
1. Waking Dreams

There were small lights gazing at him from somewhere in the absolute darkness. Edward wasn't sure if it was stars he was looking at, or something else entirely. To be completely truthful Edward wasn't sure of anything anymore. Just moments ago he'd been in his room reading when something heavy had collided with him. After that everything had been a kind of sleepy blur, and now here he was, floating through some strange kind of limbo. Oddly enough, he felt very calm and peaceful. Somehow he knew that there was nothing to be frightened of in this situation, and he should just be content with it, as there was nothing he could do to change it.

Was he dreaming? It definitely felt different from the other strange dreams he'd had. Usually those dreams were very vibrant and exhilarating, and he awoke with an adrenaline he couldn't explain. Never before had there been a dream like this one, gently floating through a dark nothingness. So then maybe it wasn't a dream. But then where was he?

Slowly he realized that there was another light, this one shining much brighter than the ominous white specks that scattered the dark void. This one was warm and bright, like sunlight. A golden glow flooded the dark void, filling Edward with a different kind of awareness.

"Wh-what?" Edward breathed, the light flooding his eyes and blinding him.

_"Brother?" _A voice rang out, and Edward could hear it ring out for ages in the darkness.

"Who are you?" Edward asked. He'd never heard this voice before. It was light and soft, and for whatever reason it made him feel like he was going to cry.

"What are you?" he asked.

_"Brother? Brother!" _The voice responded, seeming to become more desperate.

Suddenly, Edward was falling, fast. The blackness faded away until he was hurtling into a broad stream of light. He wanted to scream but a terrible roaring noise drowned out his voice, and for a split second he saw something fall past him, something he hadn't noticed before. Before he could see what it was though, it had disappeared.

_"Brother!" _The voice shouted once more, making Edward ears ring. And then he felt it. For a single moment, he felt everything. All of the feelings and thoughts of everything came blasting into his mind.

"Aghhh!" Edward screamed. The pain surely was going to split him in half. He felt like he was about to implode on himself. It was too much too quickly. But at the same time it was amazing, so many things he had never known, all of it filling him up and pressing at his seems.

"Too much!" Edward tried to yell, but another scream pushed past his words as the pain became unbearable.

"Brother!" The voice screamed again, only adding to the deafening roar.

And then it stopped. Everything was still and quiet, almost frighteningly so.

Edward felt soar and tired. Slowly he opened his eyes.


	2. Frantic Questions

Alphonse awoke with a start.

"Brother!" he shouted jerking up, his hand flying out as if to reach for something. A cold fear gripped him as he heard his voice echo ominously, going on for quite a ways. He blinked and gazed around in confusion. This wasn't home; he didn't know where this was. Slowly he pulled himself to his feet, shaking a bit. He shivered and clutched his arms, becoming aware that he was naked.

"Brother?" he called again. No answer; save the eerie echo of his own voice. He observed his surroundings, trying to get his bearings.

From what he could tell, he was in some kind of hall. It was large and grand, with a huge chandelier that lit the whole room up. He turned and saw a very ornate stage positioned on the far side of the room. So this was a theater, or a ballroom of some kind. Alphonse wasn't sure, but he knew for a fact that he had never been here before.

This wasn't good. Waking up naked in a strange place with no memory of how you got there was bad enough, but Alphonse was alone. Frantically he racked his mind for the last thing he'd been doing before he'd lost consciousness. He had been with brother. The two of them had been trying to…

The severity of Alphonse's situation hit him just as quickly as the memories did.

"W-We were trying to bring back mom!" He realized, "but then, why am I here? Where's brother?" He remembered the rebound, and Edward reaching for him, and he remembered the gate. Alphonse suddenly felt the urge to throw up at the thought of it, but managed to overcome it.

"Just stay calm," he told himself. "There's probably something in here you can use to transmute some clothes, after that you just need to go outside and find some help." Nervously, Alphonse began to scourge the theater for something to wear. Unfortunately the stage didn't seem to have a curtain to transmute. He continued to search, but to no avail. "There has to be something down here," he told himself. He gave the room another once over, and noticed a little black heap of cloth that was piled near a corner. That would work. He approached it and realized that it was someone's discarded jacket, along with an undershirt. He vaguely wondered why someone would walk off and leave their shirt lying on the floor, but didn't spend too much time pondering it. Instead he clapped his hands and transmuted the jacket into a rather thin pair of pants. They were a bit uneven, not his best work, but they would work. He pulled them on, immediately feeling better now that he was at least somewhat covered. Heaving a sigh he reached for the shirt to pull that on as well.

As he grabbed it, he felt something heavy fall and hit the floor with a loud clank. Curious, he reached down and picked it up. It was a shiny silver pocket watch, with the emblem of the state carved into it, the sign of a state alchemist. Alphonse furrowed his brow. He didn't know what to make of that. Looking up, he began to observe the ballroom once again, this time much more precisely. As he did he realized that the entire room was covered in transmutation circles. Huge complex transmutation circles, more intricate than Alphonse could comprehend.

"What is this place?" he asked, a nervous feeling beginning to take hold of him. He had to get out of this place and find Edward, now! He dashed in the direction of the doors throwing them open. He emerged in what appeared to be a city square, but it was empty. The buildings were taller and more advanced than any he'd ever seen before, and Alphonse slowly began to realize just how lost he was.

"Hello?" he called. "Edward? Brother?"

His voice reverberated out into nothingness, and he could hear no response.

"Is there anyone here? Anyone?" Alphonse yelled, his voice cracking. "Brother? Brother where are you?"

He could feel tears beginning to gather in his eyes as he desperately called out. There had to be someone in here, right? The whole city just couldn't be empty.

"Edward!" Alphonse screamed. "Edward where are you?"

"…Alphonse?"

Alphonse whirled around to see a girl in a large flamboyant dress staring at him, a small infant held tightly in her arms. "Al is that you, the real you?" she asked.

Alphonse blinked. That had been un-expected. He must of been so panicked he hadn't noticed her. "Uh...Y-yes?" He answered. "I'm Alphonse.

A look of sheer horror crossed the girl's features. "Edward, what happened to Edward?"

"Edward?" Alphonse exclaimed, "You know my brother?" But the girl wasn't listening. She was staring at the building Alphonse had come out of and murmuring to herself.

"He said he was going to destroy it, did he lie? If Al is here, then what did he do?"

"My brother!" Alphonse yelled. "You know him? Where is he? What's going on."

The girl turned and gave him a confused look. "What do you mean Al? Of course I know him, its me."

Alphonse stared blankly. Had he and this girl met? He couldn't remember.

"I…I don't think I know you." He said.

The girl's eyes narrowed, as though she was trying to solve a difficult equation in her head.

"Alphonse…exactly how old are you?"

"I'm ten…" Alphonse answered, not seeing the point of the question.

"How old is your brother? Do you know?" she asked.

"He's eleven, one year older than me." Alphonse replied.

The girl's narrowed eyes immediately widened, and a shadow flitted across her face.

"What, what is it?" Alphonse asked. "Did something happen to brother?"

"No, no everything is fine." She answered quickly. "We need to get out of here."

"But what about brother?" Alphonse asked.

"It'll be ok," she said. "We just need to get out of here, then we can get help."

"But-"

"We need to hurry," she said urgently. She grabbed Alphonse's hand and pulled him down the street, going as quickly as she could.

"Where are we going?" Alphonse asked.

"Just don't worry," was all the girl said.

How could he not worry? He didn't know what was going on, and Edward was missing. This girl seemed to know more than she was saying, but her response to his questions was hardly comforting. As they ran, Alphonse began to realize that this city was within a large cavern. As the girl led him up the hill he looked down and saw the vast expanse of city that lay empty.

"Where is everyone?" Alphonse asked. "Why is the whole city deserted?"

"They're not there anymore," the girl answered.

"Where did they go?"

She was silent, and with a sinking feeling, Alphonse tried not to imagine the fate this city had succumb to.

Edward's head was killing him, and his whole body felt like one big bruise.

"Ughh…" he moaned, rolling over. He tried to push himself off the ground, but his arms were too weak. He collapsed, panting heavily. He could tell that what he was lying on was in fact grass, so he must've collapsed outdoors somewhere.

"The professor will have my hide," he hissed, trying once again to pull himself up. It was to no avail, and he collapsed yet again. He couldn't move, and wouldn't be able to for sometime by the looks of it. Slowly, his eyelids became heavy, and he could feel himself sinking back down into sleep. Despite his attempts to fight it, Edward's eyelids gently closed and he began to drift off.

For some reason, there was a voice still ringing in his ears.

_"Brother? Brother?"_ The voice echoed, over and over.

"Who are you?" Edward asked, and then he fell into unconsciousness.


	3. Anxious Shadows

Alphonse followed closely behind the girl, which was difficult due to how fast she was walking. The two of them were now hiking through a very dark and ancient passage way.

"Excuse me?" Alphonse said. "Who are you?"

The girl turned to glance at him, and gave him a shaky smiled. "I'm Rose."

"And how do you know me and my brother?" Alphonse asked.

"We met in Liore a year ago, don't you remember?" she asked.

"No," Alphonse replied. "I've never been to Liore, and neither has brother." Alphonse wondered if this girl had mistaken him for someone else, but there weren't really that many Edwards and Alphonses roaming about abandoned cities.

"Alphonse do you remember anything?" Rose asked.

"What do you mean?" Alphonse asked, feeling frightened again. What did she mean by "remember?" What had he forgotten? Before he could ask though Rose had sped up again.

Alphonse sighed and quickened his pace; trying to make sense of the situation he'd stumbled into. He was worried about Edward. The last thing he'd seen of him was the rebound of the transmutation, and Alphonse was beginning to wonder if something terrible had happened to him. If he had been transported here then Edward could be anywhere. He could've woken up somewhere completely different with no memories either, or he could be back at home getting torn apart by the rebound. And what their mother? Had the transmutation succeeded? Was she alright? Alphonse didn't know.

He closed his eyes and moaned, feeling a nasty headache coming on. He brought his hands to his head and tried to clear his mind. It wasn't much of help.

_"Wherever you are brother, I hope you're doing better than I am,"_ he thought.

"So, you came back?"

Alphonse jumped as a voice sounded from right beside him. He'd been so lost in his own thought he hadn't even realized that there was another person beside him. He turned to see a small boy, who was probably no older than Alphonse, glaring at him with strange violet eyes.

"Uh…Hello?" Al stammered pitifully, his voice no higher than a squeak.

The boy continued to glare, than turned and looked at Rose.

"Who is he?" he asked, choosing to act as though Alphonse were invisible. "I thought you were going to find _him._" The boy almost spat the last word out, his features becoming more animalistic as he said it. Alphonse sank behind Rose seeing as how she seemed to be the one acquainted with this daunting child.

Rose looked from the boy to Alphonse. "This umm…this isn't-…" she seemed to be at a loss for words. "This is Alphonse," she finally said. "Alphonse Elric?"

The boy's pupils immediately dilated, and his face went from fury, to shock, to even more fury.

"Wha-! That's not possible!" He yelled. "He's supposed to be-" The boy stopped mid-sentence, as a realization dawned on him. He suddenly sunk back, curling into himself. Alphonse could hear him muttering quietly to himself.

"Is he alright?" Alphonse asked quietly.

Rose decided to ignore Alphonse's question and instead began speaking to the strange boy.

"We need to go back to the surface now," she said as she approached him. "We need to get there quickly so we have to move."

The boy gave her a malicious glare and began scooting away.

"You should just leave me here!" He shouted. "I don't want to!"

It was then that Alphonse realized the boy's right arm and left leg were missing, and that horrific burns disfigured the left side of his face.

Rose reached out and tried to touch him, but he jerked away.

"I told him that I'd bring you to the surface!" She said desperately, "I can't break that promise. So are you coming?"

The boy didn't respond.

"I said are you coming?"

The boy continued to glare at her, but his head fell as a sign he had given in.

Rose made a move to help him up but Alphonse intervened.

"Here I can help him," he told her. "You take care of you're baby."

Rose looked a little concerned but nodded her head in consent. Al turned to help the boy up.

He couldn't help but notice that he was getting very dirty looks from the boy. What had he done to make enemies?

"So what's your name?" Alphonse tried, doing his best to break the awkward silence.

"What do you mean what's my name?" The boy demanded, immediately getting angry.

Alphonse shrank back. "I just wanted to know what it was."

The boy raised an eyebrow, a skeptical look plastered on his face. "What do you mean? You don't know it?"

"How would I?" Alphonse asked. "Its not like we've-." He stopped short and let out a groan. So there was another person who he'd apparently met before, what was going on?

The boy gave him a curious look.

"My name is Wrath."

"Oh," Alphonse said quickly. What an appropriate name.

The rest of the trip up to the surface was silent, and Alphonse spent it wandering around in his own mind, trying to understand exactly just what had happened to him. He came out of his stupor when he finally noticed that he and his companions had emerged from the under ground city.

"So where are we now?" Alphonse asked.

"If I'm correct, this is a church in Central." Rose explained.

"We're in Central?" Alphonse had never been to Central, though he had heard some travelers talk about it once. It would've been exciting if it weren't for the current predicament. He helped Wrath over to a bench and let him rest. Now that he could see him in better light, the boy looked dreadful.

"Does that hurt?" Alphonse asked, pointing to a cut on the boys shoulder.

"Give it a minute it'll heal." The boy said.

Alphonse didn't know what to make of that.

Rose seemed to be preoccupied with other things at the moment.

"Alphonse, can you wait here? I'm going to go back down." She said.

"What? Why?"

"I need to see something," she explained.

"What?" Alphonse asked.

"It'll only take me a little while, and then I'll be right back." She said.

Alphonse didn't feel convinced, but what was he supposed to do? At the moment he wasn't sure he knew right from left.

"I'll wait." Alphonse said.

"Make sure you keep an eye on him." Rose instructed, pointing at Wrath who seemed to had fallen asleep.

"Ok." Alphonse said.

Rose nodded and then quickly ran down the tunnel again.

Alphonse sighed and sat down across from Wrath. Right now he would've given anything to go home and curl up in his soft comfortable bed. But he couldn't sleep, not with all the thoughts he had running through his head. Alphonse closed his eyes and leaned back on the bench, thinking about his brother.

Rose slowly picked her way through the passage; thankful her baby had managed to sleep through all of this.

She had been worried about Edward. The dark look in his eye when she'd left had bothered her. She had left the homunculus to go back and search for him. Now she realized that she had been right to feel so worried.

If Alphonse was here with a normal human body, then that meant Edward had done something terrible. She didn't want to believe it, but the proof was staring her dead in the face. Alphonse was alive and well, with a body all his own. To see him in the flesh was a miracle in itself, but it was also a curse.

Someone had to have paid the price to restore Alphonse in such a manner, and there was only one person who would've.

Rose was back in the underground city now racing towards the theater. She silently prayed that her assumptions were wrong, or that she would find nothing to verify them.

"Edward?" she called as she entered the theater. "Ed are you in here."

No response. She looked around the enormous room and saw something that made her blood run cold.

The Grand Arcanum had been redrawn, which meant Edward had definitely been using his talents down here. "Edward?" she called again.

A small flash of light caught her attention, and she saw something glimmering on the floor. She approached it and gently lifted it off the floor to get a better look.

"Edward…" Rose whispered, suppressing a small sob. "So then he really is dead."

In her hand was a shining silver pocket watch.

Edward couldn't remember ever feeling so dizzy in his life. He closed and opened his eyes repeatedly trying to block out the harsh light. He was lying on something soft and cool.

"Sonia! I think he's coming to," he heard someone say. The voice was foggy, as if Edward were hearing it from under water.

"You're alright boy," the voice said again. "You collapsed in one of our fields."

"Wh-where am I?" Edward gasped.

"You're a couple miles from East City." Said the voice.

"I d-don't know where that is…" Edward said.

"Shh…don't exert yourself dear," said another voice, this one softer. "Try to rest."

"I need to get back to London," Edward said. "How far is London?"

"He's delusional." Said the first voice. "Maybe we should call a doctor out here."

Black spots were dancing in Edward's vision.

"Oh no he's burning up again."

"I'll go get some water."

Edward was hearing that voice in his head again.

_"Brother, Brother?"_

"Who are you?" Edward asked aloud.

"It's alright dear, just go back to sleep."

Slowly Edward's eyes came to a rest, and his heart began to lessen its pace.

"Can't I j-just stay awake?" Edward asked no one in particular. Then he was gone.


	4. Dangerous Recognition

A/N: Wow guys. Sorry for running off and leaving the story hanging. I got a nasty case of writers block and it put me out for a week. I just felt like this chapter was so boring and I'm really anxious to get to the good stuff.

Hope you like it, and feel free to leave me your opinions of it. I really need the feedback so I can someday improve! :)

* * *

He had a strange dream.

He dreamt he was running through a long passageway, trying to find a way to get outside. The farther he ran the more desperate he felt. When he made it to the end of the tunnel all he found was a mirror. He placed a hand on it, and the whole thing broke into a thousand pieces.

When Edward finally awoke he found himself lying in a small bed, tightly wrapped in warm blankets, and something bright was shining in his eyes. Edward identified it as daylight, and he tentatively sat up to see where it was coming from. He was in a small plain room, and a large window stood beside him. He looked out and saw green rolling hills, which stood out beautifully against the blue sky. In the distance he could make out sheep grazing in the fields.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. This was a much different setting than the crowded gloomy streets of London. He'd never seen any farms like this, save pictures in books. Was he in a different country?

He pulled his legs over the side of the bed and tried to heave himself up, however the sudden movement caused his head to begin spinning. Edward gritted his teeth and willed the dizziness to stop, and the room finally seemed to halt. He heaved a long sigh and made it to his feet. Slowly, he began to inch his way across the room, leaning on the wall for support.

Right as he was about to reach the door, it opened and a young woman walked in.

"Oh," the she said, stepping back. "I didn't expect you to be awake yet." She quickly regained her composure. "You really shouldn't be out of bed yet," she said, her eyebrows creased with what appeared to be concern. "You've been really sick."

"What happened?" Edward asked. "Where am I?"

"We found you a couple of days ago," she explained. "You were passed out in one of our fields. We were beginning to wonder if you were going to make it."

"Passed out?" Edward said. "But that doesn't make any sense, I've never been here before." The woman ignored his statement and instead pressed her hand against Edward's forehead.

"You're fever's still there," she said softly. "You should lie down.

As she said this, she was tried to take Edward's hand to lead him back to the bed.

"I feel fine," he told her.

"You're not fine," She said firmly. "You're recovering and you need your rest."

"I need to know how I got here," Edward protested. "I live in the city, and last I remember I was there."

"You're guess is as good as mine," she sighed. "We can discuss that later, but right now you need to rest or else you could have a relapse."

Edward opened his mouth to argue the point further, but realized that the attempt would be futile. Instead he followed the woman's advice and laid back down on the bed.

"I'm Rita by the way." The woman said.

"Edward Elric," Edward replied. For a second the girl he was speaking to made a funny expression, but then she smiled.

"If you need anything don't be afraid to ask," she said, and then she turned and left.

Edward took a deep breath and focused, trying to remember what had happened to him. He remembered going out to buy supplies for the professor, and after that he had come straight home. No openings there for lengthy detours to the countryside. After that, he'd been in his room…

Edward's head began to throb, and his memory felt foggy, but he pushed it nonetheless. Something had hit him, something soft, like a blanket had been thrown over his head. Then after that…was there a fire?

Edward groaned and rolled over, feeling a migraine coming on. His memory wasn't making sense to him. It was like one of the countless events he'd heard men at the lab discussing. They'd intoxicate themselves with one drink to many, and then wake up in a dirty box somewhere without a clue as to how they got there. However those stories always seemed much more humorous then the one he was in now.

Edward closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll just have to ask Rita when she comes back, see if there's anything she can tell me."

_"Brother?"_

Edward's eyes flipped open, and he gazed around the room.

"Hello? Who said that?" He asked quietly. "Is there someone else in here?"

There was no response, and as far as he could tell Edward was the only one in the room. Slowly Edward closed his eyes again, but the voice was still echoing in the back of his mind. He'd heard it before, but where?

He shifted his position so that he could gaze out the window. It was very pretty here, wherever he was. Everything felt peaceful. He made a note that when he did make it back home, he should remember to come visit this place again.

"He said his name was Edward Elric." Rita said in a hushed voice.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric?" Her husband asked in disbelief.

"Who else could he be?" Rita asked.

Her husband glanced at the door, then back at his wife. "I don't know, something isn't adding up. That boy is supposed to be missing an arm or something, that's what all the rumors say atleast."

"It doesn't matter if he really is the Fullmetal Alchemist," Rita said. "The military will give us compensation all the same. The prize they have on his head is nothing to scoff at."

"And what if he is?" He asked skeptically. "What then?"

She turned to look at her husband. "He's a traitor to our country, so I assume he'll be executed."

The hallway was then silent.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Alphonse would've liked to have listened to Rose; to do as she said and stay put inside the safe church. However, leaving hadn't really been his decision, now had it?

"This church is off limits during the week!" The army officer's face was bright red.

"Don't you know it's historic value? It's almost five hundred years old!"

"We're so sorry," Alphonse apologized. "We really didn't know." Wrath sank behind him, avoiding eye contact with the officer. The two had been escorted out of the church, and were now being given a lecture by the red-faced officer. Alphonse couldn't really blame him. Two kids hiding out in an abandoned church seemed very strange to say the least, especially when one of them was missing an arm and a leg.

"You could've read the sign," the officer said haughtily. "And what were you doing out at a time like this? You two should be home."

"What do you mean?" Alphonse asked.

The officer raised his eyebrows. "Are you really asking that?"

"…Yes?" Alphonse replied hesitantly.

The officer scrutinized him for a moment. "It's been all over the news, some General assassinated Fuhrer King Bradley. The whole countries in chaos."

This was very astonishing news to Alphonse. "The Fuhrer's dead?" he exclaimed.

"Very much so," The officer said. "And there's been talk of a coup happening out East on the battlefield."

Alphonse frowned. That couldn't be right. "The east? But I thought the fighting had ceased there."

"Well no," the Officer said. "About a year ago there was an uprising in a town called Liore, and just recently there was a terrible massacre, hundreds of soldiers dead."

Liore? Hadn't that been the place Rose had said she was from? The place she said she met Alphonse?

"I don't know how this all could've happened." Al murmured, more to himself than to the officer.

"Me either kid," he sighed. The officer looked down at them with what seemed to be pity.

"If you kids give me you're address I could probably give you a ride home."

"My homes a bit farther than you can drive," Alphonse said as he gazed around the big city. "I live a ways outside of Central."

"Why are you here?" The officer asked.

"I really don't know," Al replied.

The officer pondered this for a moment, before shrugging. "Well then maybe I can take you over to head quarters, you can call you're family."

"Right…" Al said. He was in a daze. Too much had happened in too little time, and his mental capacity was wearing thin.

"Alright then," the officer said, clapping a large hand on Al's shoulder. "Lets get going."

Al nodded, not paying attention. If he had been he might've noticed the dirty looks Wrath was giving the officer.

"So what did you boys say your names were?" he asked.

"Alphonse," Al said. "Alphonse Elric."

The officer stopped mid stride, almost as if he had frozen. "Elric? As in Edward Elric?"

"You know my brother too?" Al exclaimed. Not the officer too! Did everyone know Ed now?

"Your brother," the officer repeated, looking Al up and down. "Your brother is the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"The what?"

Alphonse barely had time to briefly ponder the word before something heavy collided with the back of his head and he was out cold.


	5. Horrific Nightmares

A/N: Sheesh! You know when you have one of those moments where you just invision something in your brain and you're like; "Dude! That would be so wicked awesome! I need to write that." That is how this story was born. However, all the exposistion is literally killing me! I need action! I need stuff going on! Unfortunately I also need to make the story sensible and understandable. *sigh* However thankfully I'm going to get this chapter right up to the juice!

Also, there seems to be a little confusion between some of the reviewers about what it is thats going on. I can't give it all away yet, but there are some things you people really shouldn't be confused about that you are, so I'm gonna have to explain that. This story is in the anime-verse, and it begins right before the epilogue of episode 51. That means that this is directly after Edward transmuted himself to bring Alphonse back to life, and also right after Roy kills Fuhrer Bradely. You've probably guessed by now that Edward Elric is not the exact same state alchemist we know and love, but his alter from our world. The reason as to why will become clear as the story progresses.

One final thing. I am not acknowledging the presence of the Tringam brothers. That is to say they will not be appearing in this story. I know thats a disappointment, but I just couldn't fit them into the giant hoard of characters who are going to be appearing. Not to mention I didn't find them all that valuable to the original story line. Just imagine that they got themselves a nice military escort home, because that is what I assume actually happened to them. I'm trying to stay as true to the canon as I can here.

So here we go, get ready for a whole swamp of exposistion.

* * *

Riza Hawkeye was quite simply a mess. Her usual calm and orderly demanour had deteriorated, leaving the young lieutenant gaunt and disheveled. Her amber eyes were dull and sleep deprived, and her blonde hair had fallen out of it's clamp. However, she managed to remain faithfully outside the door, never once flatering from her posistion. To any passerby it looked like the woman was about to break into hysterics, but she had managed to keep from falling apart this long. For the first time since she had arrived, the door opened and the doctor stepped out, equally as exhausted as she.

"How is he?" she asked immediately, not giving the doctor time to respond on his own.

"He's not going to die." the doctor murmured, sinking into a chair beside her. "But his injuries are very terrible, he'll need time to recuperate."

Riza heaved a sigh of relief, and it appeared that the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. "So he's alright then?"

"Well I wouldn't say he's perfectly fine," the doctor said, adjusting his glasses. "He's in a great deal of pain, has suffered major blood loss, and his left eye is ruined." The doctor looked at Riza sullenly. "He'll no longer be able to use it."

Riza nodded. She'd guessed as much when she'd first seen his injuries. He had come so close to...

"What about the boy?" Riza asked, shaking the memory of Roy's injuries out of her mind. "Did you manage to help him as well."

"His neck was snapped," the doctor said sadly. "There was nothing I could do."

"I see..." Riza lowered her head. She assumed that must have been the Fuhrers work, seeing as how the boy had been fine when he had gone back to the mansion. She buried her face in her hands. "My fault," she choked out. "This is all because of me."

The doctor made a move to comfort her, but she took a breath and calmed herself. She straightened herself up, quickly wiping the tears from her face. She reached into her pocket and shakilly took out a wallet.

"You don't need to pay me." the doctor said. "I did my job that's all."

"You're risking a lot to help us," Riza replied. "By now he's probably the most wanted man in the country; thats bad enough, even without the fact we have the body of the Fuhrer's son with us."

"It won't stay that way for long," said the doctor. "As we speak there are government forces trying to wrap their little fingers around this country. By morning he'll be a hero of war, and believe me, he'll let all the attention go right to his thick head."

Riza smiled half-heartedly. "It'll probably take a little longer than that."

"Anyone who could take out that tyrannical scumbag is welcome here." He yawned and pulled himself off the chair. "I'm going to get some rest," he said. "There's nothing more we can do tonight." He looked at Riza. "You should sleep too," he told her. "You look like you need it."

Riza shook her head. "I'm fine," she said softly.

The doctor raised an eyebrow, but chose not to argue with her. "If you want to see him you're welcome to," he said as he walked towards his bedroom. "Though I doubt that he'll be very alert."

Riza nodded, and the doctor went to bed. She continued to sit quietly, contemplating all that had occured in the last forty-eight hours.

The plan had gone by as smoothly as it could've possibly gone, that was up until Brigadier General Archer had appeared. With his interference, Riza had been unable to return to Roy's side quickly enough to save him, or to prevent the death of the Fuhrer's son, Selim. When she had managed to make it, she found that Archer had all but mowed down Roy.

But what did that matter now? Archer was dead, and the only person left for Riza to blame was herself. The plan had been perfect, and the only one to fail at the execution had been her. Roy had needed her, more than he had ever needed her, and she had failed.

With a sad sigh, Riza moved from her seat and went over to the door. She hesitated a moment before softly opening it. "General Mustang?" She whispered softly, treading lightly as she entered the room.

Roy was lying on the bed. He was pale and weak, covered in many bloody bandages, the most ghastly being the one that covered his left eye. His breath came out in shallow rasps, and he was clutching the sheets beneath him.

"Lieutenant?" he gasped. Riza guessed he was half awake, and that the pain was too much to allow him to rest.

"I'm right here General."

"W-where are we?" he asked.

"Do you remember you're friend, Dr. Knox?" Riza asked. "We're in his home, you're injured."

"Knox?" Roy stammered.

"That's right." She placed a hand on his forehead, and found he had a fever. "You need to sleep," she told him. "You're weak."

"W-why, Why can't I see?" Roy asked.

"Your eye is injured," Riza said calmly, stroking his forehead.

"C-can't see," Roy repeated.

"Just rest and you'll feel better," Riza whispered.

Roy continued to gasp for breath, but his wheezes became less ragged. Slowly his breathing eased into a gentle and even sound, alerting Riza he had fallen unconcious.

She stayed with him for a while longer, keeping her hand on his head and comforting him in his sleep. In return, being near him comforted her, allowed her to think rationally. She cleared her mind and organized her thoughts, deciding what her next move was going to be. It didn't take her long to decide that she needed to make a few phone calls.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

When the phone in Central Headquarters rang, Maria Ross was the one to pick up.

"This is Second Lieutenant Ross," she said quickly.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" She exclaimed, recognizing the voice imediately. "Are you alright? What's going on?"

_"General Mustang is injured."_ Riza said from the other side of the phone. _"He and I shall be laying low for a while, until this mess dies down. Otherwise we both are fine. What is the situation with you?"_

"Well, Headquarters is a little scrambled," Maria explained. "Everyones alright though, but the whole command center is in an uproar about the Fuhrer and his family. The old assembly is trying to weasel power away from the military, and they seem to be suceeding too." All around Maria, soldiers, and doctors, and clerks rushed by. All of them very busy with different isolated issues.

_"I assumed as much,"_ Riza sighed. _"Have you heard anything from the others at the front?"_

"Yes actually," she answered. "Everyone is fine. The coup was a sucess, the entire eastern command center is behind General Mustang."

_"That's wonderful."_ Riza said. She sounded relieved to know no one else had been injured.

"Have you heard from Edward and Alphonse?" Maria asked. "I'm getting worried, it's been almost three days."

_"You mean they're not with you?" _

"No, I don't know where they are," Maria said. "I heard some news that they had been finishing off the rest of the homunculi, but they should have returned by now."

_"Can you send out a squadrine to look for them?"_

"We would, but everyones so swamped over here," Maria explained. "Not to mention they're both wanted criminals, seeking them out would probably do more harm than good."

_"That's true." _The other side of the phone was silent for a moment, and Maria assumed Riza was busy contemplating.

"Please Lieutenant," Maria said. "Don't worry about anyone but you and General Mustang right now. We can handle ourselves."

_"Thank you Lieutenant Ross," _said Riza. _"Please, take care of yourselves, and if anything changes I'll contact you."_

"Right," Maria smiled. "Take care."

Just as Maria placed the phone on the receiver, Sergeant Denny Brosh came rushing in.

"Lieutenant Ross!" He came very close to tripping before he made his way into the room. "We just got a report from one of the mobile units."

"Mobile unit?" she asked, turning to face him. "What is it?"

"They just arrested two young boys," said Brosh. "One of them was claiming to be Alphonse Elric."

"Alphonse?" Maria exclaimed. "You mean he's turned up?"

"That's the thing," Brosh said. "His description doesn't say anything about armor, it doesn't fit him at all in-fact."

Maria furrowed her brow. "Do you think it's another impostor?" she asked.

"I don't think so," came another voice. Izumi Curtis strode into the room, followed by her hulking husband. "The description of the other boy who was found with him matches up to that of my son. Thats a very strange coincidence." She looked up at her husband for a moment, and then back to Maria and Brosh. "Even if it isn't Alphonse they've captured, I know that Wrath must be here, and I think we should find them anyway."

Maria nodded. "Me and Brosh can go down there an secure them, and then get them back up here safely. With all this ruckus going on, I doubt anyone would notice."

"Right," said Izumi.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

"Let us out!" Alphonse demanded, pulling on the bars of the Jail cell. "We haven't done anything to deserve this, I swear!"

Neither of the guards responded to him, which only infuriated him more.

Most of the people who knew the Elrics had Edward pinned as the hot head. Those people however, had never seen Alphonse reach his breaking point, which he was dangerously close to now as luck may have it. He had had it with every single person he had met today, and if he didn't start getting answers soon he was going to transmute something big and heavy to pound his guards with

"Why're you doing this? Where's Edward?" Question after question spilled out of him, as he was no longer able to contain them. Behind him, Wrath sat sulking, not adding any input of his own.

"Don't worry," one of the guards said. "If your brothers out there, we'll find him and have him thrown in there with you."

"And then what?" Alphonse asked.

"You'll both be executed." The other guard smirked as he said this.

Alphonse eyes widened. Was this because they had committed the taboo? Because he had tried to bring his mother back, would he be put to death? He didn't even know wether his mother was alive or not, or Edward for that matter.

"What is this?" Alphonse demanded. "What is going on?"

"Excuse me!" Alphonse turned to see who it was that was speaking. Two different military officers were making there way down the hall, one who was a tall man with blonde hair, and another who was a woman with dark brown.

"We've been ordered to escort these to upstairs," the woman said. "Some of the higher ups would like to interrogate them."

The guards looked at each other and shrugged. "Alright then," the first one said. He turned and unlocked the cell, letting Alphonse and Wrath go free.

"Come with us," the woman said sternly. "No funny business."

For a moment, Alphonse considered running. However, the odds were against him, as it was a narrow hallway and all of the soldiers had guns. Plus he couldn't very well leave Wrath to fend for himself.

So he helped the boy to his feet, and followed the officers down the hall. When the reached the elevator however, the stern soldiers seemed to have a change in character.

"Alphonse?" the female soldier exclaimed as the doors closed. "My God is that you?"

"Uh...yes?"

The woman looked astonished. "It definitely sounds like you, but you looked so different from how I imagined you'd look."

"Huh?" Alphonse was becoming more confused by the second.

"You're so puny!" the blonde officer realized. "I was expecting you to be seven feet tall with all that armor you had."

"Armor? What?"

"Speaking of which, what happened to your armor?" the female officer asked. "How on earth did you get your body back? Where's Edward? Is he alright?"

Edward? Body? "Wait a second." Alphonse interrupted. "Y-you know me and brother?"

"Of course we do, " the female officer replied simply. She looked confused. "Alphonse are you alright?"

"This isn't possible," Alphonse moaned. "You all can't know me! I've never met any of you."

Now both military officers looked concerned. "What're you talking about Al?" the female officer asked. "You know us, it's Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh. We went and visited you in Resembool just a week ago."

"No you didn't!" Alphonse exclaimed. "Me and my brother were training with teacher a week ago. I was in Resembool yesterday, but I woke up here."

"No Alphonse, no you weren't." Lieutenant Ross said. Her eyebrows were creased in worry.

"Maybe he is an impostor." Brosh pondered. "It's possible."

"I am Alphonse Elric!" Alphonse yelled. "I'm not an impostor."

Just then the elevator doors opened, and Ross and Brosh could no longer speak to Alphonse. The quickly guided him through the halls, until they reached a room.

"Right in here," Maria said softly, motioning for him to go in. Alphonse followed her instructions, and found inside something he had been so desperate to see.

A familiar face.

"Teacher!" he cried, racing towards her and throwing his arms around her before she had time to react.

"Alphonse!" she exclaimed in surprise. "You're-You're."

"Teacher!" Alphonse was now on the brink of tears. "I'm sorry, I don't know whats going on. Brother and I, we-" he trailed off and just kept his head buried in his mentors chest.

Izumi however, was rigid. Alphonse had his body back, and that didn't just happen. Not unless there had been an exchange.

"Where's Edward?" she demanded.

"I don't know." Alphonse sniffed.

"What did he do? What did the two of you do?" she asked.

"We tried t-to...We just wanted to see her again teacher, I don't know what's going on."

"What do you mean Al?" she asked, her voice was still and cold sounding.

"We tried to bring mom back." Alphonse admitted. "I woke up in a theater, and I don't know where Edward is."

Izumi froze. "Wha-?"

"He doesn't remember." Everyone turned to look at Wrath, including Alphonse. It was the first time he'd spoken in a while.

"What?" Al asked. "What do you mean?"

Izumi understood.

"Alphonse." she said grabbing him by his shoulders. Al instinctively flinched. "What year is it? Right now?" she yelled.

"N-nineteen-ten." he stammered.

Izumi stared at him, her eyes narrowed. Alphonse could see she was doing calculations in her brain.

"Is that wrong?" he asked, but Izumi wasn't listening. Instead she turned to Wrath and asked him a different question.

"Where is Ed?" she asked quietly.

Wrath looked down, a grim expression on his face. "He's dead."


	6. Valid Confirmations?

A/N: Wow once again, sorry for the delay. This one took forever, and I once again found myself having to deal with the dumb exposition. XP

By the way, I'm issuing a little contest for all who are reading this right now. I'm going to have a little side character in the next chapter. It's not an OC and they won't be important to the story in any large way, but they're a character none the less. The contest is, whoever comes up with the best character will have that character mentioned in the story. Just so you know, the character has to be an adult of some kind. I don't need any back story, just give me a name, a personality, and a description of their appearance. Second place and third place winners get a cameo. XD So go ahead submit you're ideas in the review box, or if you're shy just send me a private message.

Alrighty then, on with the story!

* * *

A dead silence fell over the room, as Wrath's last statement still hung in the air.

Alphonse couldn't move.

That couldn't be true; why had Wrath said that? Edward, dead? That was silly.

"What do you mean dead?" Ross asked hesitantly. "How did he die?"

Wrath didn't answer, but he looked pointedly at Alphonse.

Alphonse immediately felt all eyes in the room drift to him, and he didn't understand why.

"T-That's not true." Alphonse stammered clutching Izumi's arm. "That couldn't happen!"

"He's dead," Wrath said coldly. "and you're confused."

"That's not true!" Alphonse yelled. "Stop saying that!"

"Alphonse!" Alphonse spun around quickly, Izumi's stern voice startling him.

She stared at him for a moment, then gave a long sigh. "You don't remember," she said quietly.

Alphonse furrowed his brow in confusion. "Brother couldn't have died, I saw him yesterday! You saw him too!"

"That was four years ago." Izumi said.

Alphonse's voice caught in his throat, and his mind went blank. _"What?"_

"It's been four years Alphonse," Izumi restated.

"But how is that possible?" he asked.

Izumi sighed and placed her hand on her forehead. "It's so very complicated." she groaned.

"Tell me!" Alphonse demanded.

"Four years ago you and Edward tried to bring your mother back." Izumi said. "There was an accident, something went wrong. You remember that much don't you?"

Alphonse remembered the strange violet light that had erupted in the center of the room, and the black arms that had reached out and dragged him into a dark void.

"...Yeah..." Alphonse said slowly. "It was a rebound."

Izumi nodded.

Alphonse waited for her to continue but she remained silent.

"What happened?" he asked.

Izumi said nothing.

"What happened?" he asked again.

"To put it simply the both of you failed," she said. "And there were consequences."

The sky had grown dark outside, and the mayhem that had been taking place in Central Headquarters had died down significantly. Over the course of the long conversation, Ross and Brosh has filtered out, and now it was only Alphonse, Izumi and Wrath.

Alphonse was sitting wide eyed, staring out into space. His head was spinning at an uncontrollable rate. Four years of his life had just disappeared. Even more unbelievable were the details of what exactly had taken place over all that time.

"So you're saying brother's dead, because he brought my body back from the gate?" Alphonse whispered.

Wrath nodded, and Alphonse felt bile rise up in his throat. "H-how could this have happened?" he whimpered placing his head in his hands.

"That is the price of committing the taboo Alphonse." Izumi said coldly.

"But all we wanted-"

"It doesn't matter! Did all the training I gave you teach you nothing? You cannot bend the universe to you're liking, and death is no exception," she snapped.

Alphonse winced and looked down. "It doesn't matter now..." he murmured.

The moment the words had left his mouth a large fist come flying into his face.

"Aghh!" he cried losing his balance and falling face first on the ground. "What was that for?" he exclaimed.

"Don't sit there wallowing in self pity! Man up! Have I taught you nothing!" Izumi shouted loudly.

"I-I'm Sorry!" Alphonse sputtered.

"Damn right you are!" Izumi shouted. "Now get your sorry butt off the floor."

Near the back of the room, Wrath raised an eyebrow, obviously a bit confused by his mother's violent pep talk.

Alphonse pulled himself up and looked at teacher. "I'm sorry..." he murmured again. "It's my fault..."

It hit him right then. It _was_ his fault. Everything was his fault. Hadn't he been the one who had doubts about attempting human transmutation? Since the day he was born he'd been told how considerate and responsible he was. Even Edward had admitted it, (though the choice words he had used were scaredy cat.)

When it came to spotting danger, Edward was brash and head strong, so Alphonse was the one who had to unveil any flaws in his brother's outlandish plans.

So why hadn't he? Was it because he had wanted to see their mother again as well? How selfish was he?

He had killed his own brother, simply because he had hoped this outlandish plan would work.

Now there was no one. Just Alphonse.

A small choking noise escaped his lips and he once again buried his face in his palms. He tried to hold back his tears, knowing he didn't have any right to cry right now.

Izumi's dark eyes softened, and she felt a twinge of guilt for acting so harsh. Alphonse did not deserve to be pitied or comforted, and neither did Edward. Their choices were their own and no amount of softening them would do them any good. But the last time she'd seen Alphonse's face, his real face, had been years ago. She realized she was dealing with a child again, not the young man encased in a hard unfeeling suit of armor. So going against her better judgement she relented, and wrapped her arms around him.

"My two idiot pupils." she murmured. "What am I to do with you?"

And then Alphonse couldn't hold it back any longer. He sobbed into Izumi's shoulder, and she rubbed his back soothingly.

A small part of Alphonse's brain realized how strange it felt to cry. He guessed that it was all the pain of those four years pouring out of him. He clutched his teacher's back and continued to wail like a small child. He was so consumed in his sorrow, he didn't notice Wrath hobbling out of the room, with tears of his own streaming down his cheeks.

_The room was spinning. Edward felt hot and clammy and everything was too bright. He could hear voices but they were all muffled. A face came into focus and Edward recognized it. _

_"D-dad?" he tried to call out. There was a spark of fury inside of him, but it was quickly quenched by all the other sensations he was experiencing right now._

_"Is that?"_

_"Couldn't be?_

_"Professor who is this?"_

_"Look at his arm."_

_"His leg too."_

_All the voices swirled around him and made him feel sick. Where was Alphonse? Alphonse!_

Edward bolted upright, gasping for breath. He looked out the window again and found it was dark.

The nightmare had left him feeling queasy and alert, and he doubted he was going to be able to fall asleep again.

"First I collapse in a field, now I'm having nightmares." he muttered to himself as he got out of bed. "I bet I have brain damage."

He crept quietly for through the house, searching for a front door that would give him access to some well needed air. He opened the door and made it out onto the porch. He sighed and breathed deeply. The air was warm and felt wonderful. A small breeze ruffled his awkwardly cropped hair and tickled his cheek.

It was so different from London. He'd lived in the city his entire life and had never experienced such peace as this. Especially as of late. Germans had been relentlessly bombing the city and everyone was in a constant panic.

Thinking of the bombs stirred an uncomfortable feeling in his mind. It was a such a dismal topic to be entertaining in a place like this. He looked up at the sky and noticed how starry it was. There were so many it was unbelievable. It must have been dark enough here in the country that all the lights were on display. He smiled and felt a sweet sense of nostalgia fill him. He used to go star gazing with his mother back when he was younger, she had taught him the constellations. As he was thinking about this topic, something odd struck him. "That's weird..." he said to himself, "Did they always look like that?" Despite his searching he couldn't find any constellations he recognized. He was pondering if this was because of the seasons when the front door swung open.

"What're you doing out here boy?" said a tall man with dark hair. Edward assumed this was the husband Rita had mentioned earlier. He didn't look happy.

"I was just-"

"Trying to escape?" the man cut him off. "Listen, you city folk may think we don't know much about the state of the country, but we know enough about you to tell who you are."

Edward was baffled. "Escape? What are you talking about-"

"Don't play dumb." the man said. "You're wanted by the state Mr. Elric, you betrayed the country."

"What?"

"It seems even dogs of the military can turn rogue," the man snapped.

"The military?" Ed repeated. He'd never been drafted to fight, though that wasn't through lack of trying. He was scrawny and small for his age. He hardly looked old enough to pass for fourteen, much less the full sixteen years he was actually entitled too. "I'm not apart of any military," he said slowly.

"Well that's true." the man sniffed. "Not anymore anyways."

Edward furrowed his brow in confusion. He began to wonder if maybe this man was the one with the brain damage.

"Look sir," he said calmly. "I think you're confused."

"We've already contacted head quarters boy," the man snarled. Edward noticed how nervous he looked, as if he was expecting Edward to flip out a knife and attack him. "So get back in here."

Edward frowned. "Look I've never had any contact with the military in this country, I haven't done anything wrong." Edward hoped that was true. For all he knew he could've assaulted military troops and then blacked out in a field somewhere. He hoped that wasn't the case/

"Please Mr. Elric." the man laughed anxiously. "Everyone in the continent knows who you are the way you flash around that 'Hero of the People' title."

Edward frowned, now he was sure the man was speaking nonsense, and he wondered if maybe he should wake up his wife and ask about it. Just as the thought crossed his mind, she appeared in the doorway.

"Stay where you are!" she said, her voice much icier than Edward remembered. To his bewilderment the women had a shot gun aimed at him. A freaking shot gun! Edward began backing away from the couple. "We're turning you in wether you come quietly or not," she said.

"You people are insane!" Edward exclaimed. He noticed the woman's grip on the gun was shaky, and he assumed she'd never handled such a weapon before. He quickly weighed his odds in his head before turning and making a run for it.

"Bang!" the shot cut through the silence, and Ed felt something whiz by his ear.

_"They're actually shooting at me!"_ he panicked. He blacks out in a field and gets caught by psychotic foreigners. Fate didn't seem to be on his side today. He tripped while running down a hill, and tumbled head first into a sleeping flock of sheep. That, accompanied by the large bang of the shot gun caused all the sheep to jolt awake and scatter in different directions. It was all Edward could do not to get trampled to death. He pulled himself up and continued running.

_"Forget it!"_ he though furiously. _"If I ever make it back to London, I'm never coming back to this country."_


End file.
